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Veterans cemetery in Crawford County gets senate approval

Camp Grayling
Mike Krebs
/
Traverse City Record-Eagle
Michigan Army National Guard soldiers stand in formation during the Michigan National Guard Memorial and Pass in Review at Camp Grayling in Grayling in 2020.

A bill that would green-light a state-owned veterans cemetery in Northern Michigan passed through the State Senate last week.

Senate Bill 971 proposes the creation of a state veteran’s cemetery in Crawford County and $1.5 million in the new state budget geared toward the design and feasibility study for the project.

Michigan does not have any state-owned veterans cemeteries and the two federal cemeteries are located down state.

According to data from the 2020 Census, veterans make up 6.8 percent of Michigan’s population - numbering over half-a-million people.

Sen. Curt Vanderwall (R-Ludington) sponsors the legislation. He said the bill, also known as the “Veterans Cemetery Act,” aims to ensure veterans are buried closer to home.

“More and more veterans are passing away as our population ages; they should have access to a veterans cemetery near their families that will allow them to be formally honored for their service,” VanderWall said in a press release. “Establishing a veterans cemetery that is centrally located in Northern Michigan will make this possible for more men and women who have answered the call of duty in our nation’s military.”

The bill passed in the senate 37-0.

In a July 8 press release, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer highlighted investments in the budget for the 2023 fiscal year. One of the pillars of which is honoring those who serve.

The budget funds the construction of a new veteran’s home in Marquette backs a suicide prevention outreach campaign, and shores up the pensions of MSP troopers.

She specifically mentioned $12 million to establish the cemetery in Crawford County.

All burial costs are covered by the government when a veteran or their family is laid to rest in a federal or state-owned cemetery.

Local veteran Wayne Koppa said it could save military families thousands of dollars.

“All of us think it's an honor in your final stop to end up with fellow military members,” Koppa said. “This is an earned benefit for the veterans in Northern Michigan that just hasn’t been pursued.”

Next, the bill will need to go through the house and be approved by the Governor. Vanderwall says he hopes the cemetery will be open by 2024.

Michael Livingston covers the area around the Straits of Mackinac - including Cheboygan, Charlevoix, Emmet and Otsego counties as a Report for America corps member.